Thursday, March 1, 2012

Simple Minestrone Soup with Tortellini

Frog Prince requested a simple minestrone soup, which was a great way to clean out our fridge & freezer from leftover little dabs of veggies & stock.

As the soup simmered, our fridge & freezer were nice & clean and our house began to smell wonderful.

We served this alongside cheese-filled quesadillas, which made an excellent addition.

Simple Minestrone Soup with Tortellini – Finding Joy in My Kitchen

Ingredients

2 C baby carrots, halved if desired

2 celery ribs, sliced

2 tsp. minced onion

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 C water

4 C chicken broth

1 can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 C tomato sauce

8 oz mushrooms, sliced

1 medium zucchini, quartered

1 C green beans

1 C white beans, optional

2 tsp. Italian seasoning

salt & pepper, to taste

2 – 3 C fresh tortellini

Directions

Begin by sautéing the celery, onion, garlic and carrots in a large stockpot. If needed, add 1 tsp. olive oil to help prevent the veggies from sticking. Saute until the garlic smells great – about 4-5 minutes.

Add in the can of undrained tomatoes and 1 C tomato sauce. If you’d like to add white or kidney beans, add them (cooked) here.

Cover and simmer the soup for 30 minutes, or until veggies are slightly tender. Then, add in the 1 C frozen green beans and 1 medium zucchini, quartered.

Return the soup to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Toss in the uncooked tortellini, and increase the soup to a boil. Boil for 7-10 minutes until the tortellini is cooked. If the soup becomes too thick as the pasta cooks, add in an additional 1 C water, adding in 1/4 C increments until the desired thickness is reached.

When cooking, please make sure to follow kitchen hygiene and safety -- cook meat until internal temperature is at safe levels, always check labels for allergens, and use caution in the kitchen -- I love sharing recipes, but I am not liable for damages done as a result of trying these recipes.